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March 16, 2017

Is tumeric the new coffee?

No doubt you have heard all the buzz around turmeric, the wonder spice, superfood that is bursting with functional goodness. You may also know of, have tried, or are even serving Turmeric Lattes in your cafe.

With all this buzz, people are asking, “Is turmeric the new coffee?”

Why Turmeric?
Turmeric has, as its active ingredient, curcumin. This is where the majority of the health benefits come from. A quick visit to Dr Google will reveal the many functional benefits of this spice, and the long history of use in the Ayurvedic tradition of India. That it has recently come into popular use can perhaps be linked to the rising interest in whole foods, health foods and conscious living, where there is a return to seeing “food as medicine”.

Why Turmeric Lattes?
Good cafés, particularly those who have already finessed their coffee offering, are always looking for new, interesting options for their customers, and their search, particularly the health conscious café owners, look to the healthful benefits of spices. To find a healthy drink option that can be made using the readily available steamer wand of the espresso machine, and that can be made with a variety of milk or mylk, that all good cafés now offer, is a significant win for them and their customers. Some of these cafés mix teaspoons of ground turmeric, ginger and black pepper, along with a sweetener in the milk jug, steam it up and serve a “golden latte”. The taste can be quite good; however, the powdered spices do not mix well, giving a somewhat gritty mouthfeel and also settle to the bottom of the cup, thereby having the consumer miss out on the goodness contained within. Having said that, the golden latte sells for between $6 and $7.50! Here at Alchemy, we started working on our turmeric drink back in 2014, when our founder purchased a farm in northern NSW that grew turmeric. This access to the raw spice, along with the many trips to India following chai and spice adventures, had everyone here looking to create a product that would be a unique combination of all natural, delicious, functionally beneficial, easy to make, able to be used in both hot and cold drinks, and also profitable for cafés. Alchemy’s new “Golden Turmeric Elixir” does all of that, and more.

Why Alchemy’s Golden Turmeric Elixir?
We combined concentrated spice extracts of turmeric, black pepper, ginger, organic vanilla and some raw Australian cane sugar in a liquid concentrate form. As the curcumin levels in turmeric, both raw and in powdered form are quite low (between 1.5 – 3%), we added curcumin to the base, which also gives the drink its amazing bright yellow colour (we call it Liquid Sunshine).

Making a golden latte could not be easier; just add 15 ml of the Golden Turmeric elixir and 200 ml of cold milk (or mylk) to the steamer jug, steam pour and top with a dusting of cinnamon.

With summer just around the corner, try it iced, by using 15 ml of the Golden Turmeric Elixir to 00 ml of milk, add ice cubes, stir, enjoy! The liquid mixes straight in, no lumps no grit, just golden goodness.

It remains to be seen if the turmeric latte will topple the café latte. Cafés are selling between 50 – 150 golden lattes per day, so the comparison is not such a big stretch.
What is clear though, is that this represents a new ritual, different to the coffee experience, where consumers are looking for a functional, healthy drink that both delights and is good for them. Interestingly, this ritual seems to fit into the mid morning to early afternoon time, when coffee sales slow down, so a profitable opportunity for cafés to consider.

Like to try?
If you are wondering if this might work in your café, we would love to give you the opportunity to find out. Give us a call on (07) 3488 2335 or send us an email: info@alchemycordial.com.au and we will send you a free 50 ml sample bottle, along with a recipe card.

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